EBM® Electron Beam Melting

– in the forefront of Additive Manufacturing

In the Arcam EBM® process fully dense metal components are built up, layer-by-layer of metal powder, melted by a powerful electron beam. Each layer is melted to the exact geometry defined by a CAD model.

The Arcam EBM machines utilize a high power electron beam that generates the energy needed for high melting capacity and high productivity. The electron beam is managed by electromagnetic coils providing extremely fast and accurate beam control that allows several melt pools to be maintained simultaneously – Arcam MultiBeam™.

The Arcam EBM process takes place in vacuum and at high temperature, resulting in stress relieved components with material properties better than cast and comparable to wrought material.

Controlled Vacuum Technology

The vacuum system provides a base pressure of 1×10-5 mbar or better throughout the entire build cycle. During the actual melting process a partial pressure of He is introduced to 2×10-3 mbar. This clean and controlled build environment is important to maintain the chemical specification of the built material.

Warm Process

For each layer in the build the electron beam heats the entire powder bed to an optimal ambient temperature, specific for the material used. As a result, the parts produced with the EBM process are free from residual stresses and have a microstructure free from martensitic structures.